840 m squared of all types of weeds.

Please help... I have recently had an un-kept garden levelled and fenced. Before this the land was just uneven and on a slight incline. The garden had not been touched, the grass not cut and the weeds left to grow wild for over 10 years. Now that the ground work has been done the surface is level and the top layer turned over and compressed by the excavators tracks.

The weeds prior to this consisted of Horsetail, Brambles, Dandelions, Stinging nettles, grass gone wild and to finish a few Blue Bells, and are all below the surface. I need to stop them growing again before I lawn the area in a couple of years time. So, my question is, what can I do to prevent anything from growing back? i.e. rotovating with weed killer.

Don't rotavate, all those little bits will grow into more plants. You've got a fine selection of some of the best weeds there. Let them grow and glyphosate them when they are going well. I believe horsetail is rather resistant and it's not one I've experienced but someone will know

Don't rotovate, it will break up the perennial weeds roots and you will get more weeds. In spring when evrything starts regrowing spray it all with glyphosphate, as Nutcutlet says. Horsetail will probably need doing more than once. One of the NHS gardens had it and they used glyphosphate. It would probably have been best to have sprayed it all before the excavator passed. You say you will lawn it in a couple of years time. Did you mean months? If you haven't managed to get rid of all the weeds then regular mowing of the lawn will help and when the lawn is established you can use a selective lawn weedkiller.

Thank you both nutcutlet & Busy-Lizzie for your prompt responses. Looking at the web, people suggest Kurtail to kill Horsetail. Yes, it will be years before the lawn is laid as I have to build several walls & landscaping features. Would you suggest that I leave it until about March-time, when there is more growth showing to start the process? Going one step further, is there a need to burn off the dead growth? Cheers.

Later than March unless spring is very early. good full growth but before flowering. Taking off the dead growth would improve appearance but won't affect the weeds. Sounds like a big project you've got there

I looked up Kurtail and it's ingredients and also glyphosate (Round-up). Although no weedkiller is harmless I think Kurtail is more harmful than glyphosate, not all perennial weeds respond to it and it can stay in the soil. I don't think one should believe everything on the net and some reports are biased - but this one is approved by The Friends of the Earth. http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/impacts_glufosinate_ammon.pdf

We had serious amounts of horsetail in a part of our meadow but constant mowing is definitely wearing it down, Try crushing it with a roller before applying glyphosate to make application more effective. Good luck! Janet

Exactly and we interfere with the ecology of an area at our peril. Many of the problems in gardening and agriculture are because we disregard how everything is interconnected.

How much of the bee problem is down to our mismanagement of the environment?

Yes a plant in the wrong place is a nuisance in that it is taking up a space where I might want something more' pretty' or productive. Yes those dratted aphids are destroying my Sprout crop and moles, well don't get me started on them, but they are all part of nature, just hopefully somewhere else!

I agree with Lyon and Berghill to an extent but the OP has 840 m2 which has been 'neglected' for over 10 years and I'm sure you would agree that that should not all be left to nature if it is to become a garden eventually? I deliberately let certain 'weeds' grow (always pick fresh young nettles 'around' Good Friday for nettle soup for examlpe) . If the main gardening project is not to take place for a while then there needs to be an ongoing control/maintenance of the 'weeds'.